Hydroclimatic Controls on the Isotopic (δ18 O, δ2 H, d-excess) Traits of Pan-Arctic Summer Rainfall Events

• Published in: Frontiers in Earth Science
• Main Authors: Mellat, Moein, Bailey, Hannah, Mustonen, Kaisa-Riikka, Marttila, Hannu, Klein, Eric S., Gribanov, Konstantin, Bret-Harte, M. Syndonia, Chupakov, Artem V., Divine, Dmitry V., Else, Brent, Filippov, Ilya, Hyöky, Valtteri, Jones, Samantha, Kirpotin, Sergey N., Kroon, Aart, Markussen, Helge Tore, Nielsen, Martin, Olsen, Maia, Paavola, Riku, Pokrovsky, Oleg S., Prokushkin, Anatoly, Rasch, Morten, Raundrup, Katrine, Suominen, Otso, Syvänperä, Ilkka, Vignisson, Sölvi Rúnar, Zarov, Evgeny, Welker, Jeffrey M.
• Other Authors: Horizon 2020, Academy of Finland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Frontiers Media SA 2021
• Subjects: Arctic Ocean; Greenland; Iceland; Sea ice; Subarctic; Tundra; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.651731; https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.651731/full

Arctic sea-ice loss is emblematic of an amplified Arctic water cycle and has critical feedback implications for global climate. Stable isotopes (δ 18 O, δ 2 H, d-excess ) are valuable tracers for constraining water cycle and climate processes through space and time. Yet, the paucity of well-resolved Arctic isotope data preclude an empirically derived understanding of the hydrologic changes occurring today, in the deep (geologic) past, and in the future. To address this knowledge gap, the Pan-Arctic Precipitation Isotope Network (PAPIN) was established in 2018 to coordinate precipitation sampling at 19 stations across key tundra, subarctic, maritime, and continental climate zones. Here, we present a first assessment of rainfall samples collected in summer 2018 ( n = 281) and combine new isotope and meteorological data with sea ice observations, reanalysis data, and model simulations. Data collectively establish a summer Arctic Meteoric Water Line where δ 2 H = 7.6⋅δ 18 O–1.8 ( r 2 = 0.96, p < 0.01). Mean amount-weighted δ 18 O, δ 2 H, and d-excess values were −12.3, −93.5, and 4.9‰, respectively, with the lowest summer mean δ 18 O value observed in northwest Greenland (−19.9‰) and the highest in Iceland (−7.3‰). Southern Alaska recorded the lowest mean d-excess (−8.2%) and northern Russia the highest (9.9‰). We identify a range of δ 18 O-temperature coefficients from 0.31‰/°C (Alaska) to 0.93‰/°C (Russia). The steepest regression slopes (>0.75‰/°C) were observed at continental sites, while statistically significant temperature relations were generally absent at coastal stations. Model outputs indicate that 68% of the summer precipitating air masses were transported into the Arctic from mid-latitudes and were characterized by relatively high δ 18 O values. Yet 32% of precipitation events, characterized by lower δ 18 O and high d-excess values, derived from northerly air masses transported from the Arctic Ocean and/or its marginal seas, highlighting key emergent oceanic moisture sources as sea ice ...